Cal Poly mourning loss of Giselle Ayala

Student dies in Santa Barbara

The Cal Poly community is mourning the loss of one of its own. Eighteen-year-old Giselle Ayala’s body was found near campus point at UCSB Saturday morning.

“Disbelief, I was in shock. I knew her, hung out with her a couple of times. She was a really nice, smart girl,” said Cal Poly freshman Carson Stone.

The young woman was a first year sociology major at Cal Poly and was very involved in the university’s liberal arts program.

She lived in Yosemite Hall where counselors were on hand Sunday to talk to students in need.

Ayala went to Santa Barbara with some friends on Friday to attend the Deltopia party.

Students we spoke to said the dorms she lived in have been very quiet over the last couple of days. “My friends and I have discussed it a little bit. That we like, talked to her and it was a little bit more personal,” said Cal Poly freshman Paul Thelander.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating Ayala’s death.

Cal Poly officials urge any students who need to talk to contact the university’s counseling center.